'Small-calibre Ammunition in Libya: An Update', a new online Dispatch from the Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project, examines a 21 examples of small-calibre ammunition documented in Libya in 2011, 2012, and 2013, building on the results documented in Working Paper 16, The Headstamp Trail: An Assessment of Small-calibre Ammunition Found in Libya.
After Kalashnikov-pattern rifles, Fusil Automatique Léger (FAL) rifles were among the most frequently sighted firearms during the 2011 armed conflict in Libya.
The FAL rifle was originally designed and manufactured at the Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre Herstal (FN Herstal), in Belgium, and was dubbed ‘the right arm of the free world’ during the cold war. Since its release in 1954 it has undergone several modifications and was adopted by a number of countries, some of which also manufactured it under licence.
Arms and ammunition are evidence. Many weapons carry marks that, combined with their physical characteristics, reveal important information about them, including their manufacturer, age, and origin. This information, in turn, provides vital clues about the sources and flows of weapons in the area in which they were found.
Self-loading rifles were first issued in military service in 1896 and remain the primary infantry weapon for all modern military forces. They are durable weapons, with examples produced in the 1930s and 1940s still documented in modern conflict zones. Recent research suggests that some 175 million self-loading service rifles have been produced to date. This figure does not include civilian-owned rifles and is very likely an underestimate.
Emergent ammunition technologies are likely to prove key in future firearms designs. Emergent cartridge case technologies, the rise of the ‘general-purpose’ calibre, and other nascent technologies will affect the way in which firearms are designed, produced, managed in service, tactically employed, maintained, and sustained.
Recoilless Weapons—a Research Note from the Small Arms Survey—describes the technical features of this light weapon system and provides a brief history of its use and development.
A new guide offering practical advice on recording the identification characteristics of small arms and light weapons will help to ensure that all essential data is recorded accurately, so that a specialist may make a conclusive identification.
Guided mortar systems provide increased firing accuracy and reduced ammunition consumption over their conventional counterparts. Mortars are normally smooth-bore, muzzle-loading, indirect- fire support weapons, and are typically used against personnel, light armoured vehicles, and structures. Although they can engage targets that may not be within their line of sight, they are limited in range and accuracy when compared to many other artillery systems.
Automatic Grenade Launchers, a Small Arms Survey Research Note, descries the technical features of this light weapon system and gives a brief history of its use and development.
For decades, armed groups around the world have converted rockets intended for use with large, vehicle-mounted launchers into improvised light weapons. Indiscriminate and lethal, these weapons have killed and injured thousands of people in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.
Yet, despite the demonstrated threat posed by artillery rockets, they have received significantly less attention from policy-makers than conventional small arms and light weapons do.